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Gita Lesson - 0501: Karma Yoga Stepping Stone

Bhagavad Gita
Unit - 05
Lesson - 0501: Karma Yoga is the Stepping Stone
By Raja Subramaniyan

In life, the pairs of opposites (Gain and Loss, Pleasure and Pain, Prosperity and Poverty, Fame and Blame, Love and Hate, Victory and Defeat, Health and Ill health) are unavoidable. They are called dualities of life because one does not exist without the other.

Example: Hot and cold define each other. If one does not exist, the other will not have any meaning.

Thus, the pairs of opposites are two ends of the same stick. It is not possible to avoid one completely. If we do not use our intelligence to its full potential, we will remain bound to the effect of the oscillation between these pairs of opposites. We will enjoy the positive swing and suffer the negative swing.

Most of us are using our intelligence to correct the external world so that the positive swing is maximized and the negative swing is eliminated. This is an impossible task. We can only raise the level of comforts and standard of living by correcting the environment. It is not possible to control the environment in such a way that we never face an unpleasant situation.

Example: Buying a Benz car may make the travel comfortable but will not solve the problem of traffic jam.

Therefore, it is essential that we use our intelligence to become wise so that we do not suffer at all in our life. This is possible only if we gain self-knowledge. Gaining self-knowledge is an easy process but the preparation to gain knowledge may be a lengthy process.

Example: It may take only a few minutes to perform a cataract operation. However, the patient may have to wait for many months until the cataract reaches a stage when it is ready for surgical removal.

Similarly, intelligent people may get self-knowledge in a comparatively short duration. However, not all intelligent people are eligible to receive the knowledge because their mind may not be mature enough, just as in the above example the operation could be done only when the conditions are ripe. Karma Yoga prepares the mind and makes it mature enough to receive self-knowledge.

Karma Yoga does not involve any new actions on our part. We need to do the very same actions to fulfill the responsibilities of the various roles assumed by us. Whatever work we do is called Karma. To convert Karma into Karma Yoga, all we need to do is to change our attitude with which we do our work.

Karma is a part of material pursuit. We want to be happy all the time and we think name, fame, wealth, power, position and such material goals will give us this happiness. Any action done with this attitude is mere karma.

Karma Yoga is a part of spiritual pursuit. We want to be happy all the time and we know that gaining self-knowledge is the only way in which we get eternal happiness. We are involved in action so that our mind will become mature enough to gain self-knowledge. Any action done with this attitude is Karma Yoga.

If we are to perform our actions without this shift in our attitude, what we do is called Karma and not Karma Yoga. All our Karmas bind us to this world. This means we will continue to be prone to more suffering.

This is obvious from our experience. When we start a new business, we do not have much attachment to the business. As time goes by, if we do only Karma and not Karma Yoga, we will end up with lots of attachment. The alternating gains and losses in the business will determine the state of our mind.

We will be happy when the going is good and suffer when the business is not doing so well. Even when the business is faring extremely well, our happiness is not complete nor do we ever reach a level of perfect fulfillment. There is always anxiety that the business should continue to do well and invariably we plan to expand our business. This will involve certain fear in our mind. Opening a new factory is undoubtedly a sign of prosperity but it does not make us feel complete. We will have to wait until the operations in the new factory exceed our expectations. That stage never comes because even if the factory were to do exceedingly well, we would be looking forward to further growth in the business.

Moreover, in the process of our business growth we would have developed many competitors and would have sought the attention of various regulatory authorities. This will bring its own set of anxieties.

Thus, Karma binds us. Karma Yoga on the other hand, liberates us. We would like to be happy all the time without ever facing the negative emotions. Avoidance of suffering is the basic feature of Joyful Living.

The destination is Joyful Living. Self-knowledge is only the vehicle to reach the destination. Karma Yoga is the stepping-stone to get on to the vehicle. Karma Yoga gives us the required mental maturity to receive the self-knowledge.

Only those people who have understood that the nature of the world is to bind us to suffering are qualified to perform Karma Yoga. Others will enjoy life assuming that the whole life will pass without any change. They are not qualified to attempt Karma Yoga, since they do not know that suffering is inevitable in life.

Arjuna has qualified to become a student, since he is facing the worst crisis of his life. He is actively seeking a solution to end all his sufferings, and therefore Lord Krishna begins his teaching on Karma Yoga in the verses 38 and 39.

Teaching 14: Karma binds and Karma Yoga liberates

Chapter 2: Wisdom is the solution [Verses: 38 - 39]

2.38 Fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat--and, by so doing, you shall never suffer.

2.39 Thus far I have declared to you the knowledge of Atman. Now listen to the knowledge of yoga whereby one works without the focus on immediate result. Oh Arjuna, when you act with this knowledge of yoga, you can free yourself from the bondage of action.

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